Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels — coal, oil and natural gas — currently provide more than 85 percent of all the energy consumed in the U.S., nearly two-thirds of its electricity, and virtually all of its transportation fuels. Moreover, it is likely that the nation's reliance on fossil fuels to power an expanding economy will actually increase over at least the next two decades even with aggressive development and deployment of new renewable and nuclear technologies.

The U.S. Department of Energy is working on such priority projects as pollution-free coal plants, more productive oil and gas fields and the continuing readiness of federal emergency oil stockpiles. (Source: DOE / Photo: Flickr)